Attracting and retaining the attention of freelancers: how we get the best talents on board

By Laura Chevrier

Monday 03 July 2023

It’s an undeniable fact — with talent thin on the ground, particularly in IT, businesses face a major challenge if they want to stand out and appeal to freelancers. To cope with this new pattern we’re seeing, our survey entitled “The large groups that freelancers would choose to work for” reveals the essential criteria that influence the self-employed in their choice of assignments and businesses. Take a look at our top tips for finding and securing the most sought-after skills.

#1 A bit of background…

Contrary to what you might think, company size is not a key factor for freelancers, with almost half of those surveyed considering this irrelevant. Although 34% of freelances work for large groups, this is because their offers, products and services are of interest to them. The same applies to the company’s core activity, which is factored in by 36% of these talents. To attract freelancers, you need to look at what constitutes the very essence of the company, while offering exciting projects and highlighting your expertise.

#2 From the culture to the work

Good relationships and transparency are two essential pillars to entice and retain freelancers. Regular follow-ups and solid business relationships are the reasons why 31% of self-employed workers recommend a company to their peers. Building on this notion of transparency, whether the proposed assignment and the actual assignment match completely is another priority for 23% of freelancers.

Finally, the corporate culture, efficient payment, possible extensions and changes to the assignment are all key factors that play a determining role in retaining the most talented and ambitious freelancers. In short, be transparent and nurture strong relationships if you want to become a preferred employer for freelancers.

#3 Passion before pay

The project content sits firmly at the top of the most important criteria for independent professionals. Even before pay and flexible working conditions, passion for the project guides their decision. Freelancers also require accurate information about the context of the assignment. They want to know details about the working conditions, meet the project team and see the environment they’ll be working in.

To sum up, to attract and retain freelancers, companies must offer interesting assignments with an inspiring core theme, while cultivating good relationships, transparency and flexibility. By meeting these expectations, businesses will succeed in attracting and building lasting relationships with top-rated talents.